Quick Hits: Dodgers, Cardinals, Inglett, Broderick
Saturday evening linkage…
- Frank McCourt told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that the Dodgers' roster would look the same even if the team didn't have financial problems. He was also vague about future payroll plans if the multi-billion dollar deal with FOX were to be approved (Twitter link).
- B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com points out that the Cardinals will have to make room for Brian Tallet when the lefty comes off the disabled list next week (Twitter links). He doesn't think they'll cut ties with the struggling Ryan Franklin, but he says it's "debatable."
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that Joe Inglett has accepted his outright assignment and will join the Astros' Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Inglett could have elected free agency after clearing waivers earlier in the week.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo believes that pitcher Brian Broderick has a bright future in the big leagues, despite being DFA'd by the club earlier today, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Manager Dusty Baker is curious to see if the newly activated Jose Arredondo can provide the Reds with the kind of pitching they expected upon signing him.
- Dave Gershman of Beyond The Box Score examined the market for Padres pitcher Dustin Moseley.
West Notes: Padilla, Teagarden, Owings, Moseley
Here are some items of note from clubs out on the West Coast …
- The Dodgers don't yet have a plan for right-hander Vicente Padilla, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Padilla, last year's Opening Day starter, could (again) start, close or be a long-reliever, depending on injuries. Padilla's base salary reflects that, Hernandez writes. His base salary is for $2MM, but he can earn an additional $8MM in incentives for starting or $6.8MM for relieving.
- The Rangers once again are well-stocked with catchers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, but this year, as opposed to previous years, they have a clear-cut starter in Yorvit Torrealba. Still, they have three other useful backstops in Matt Treanor, Mike Napoli and Taylor Teagarden, but because Treanor has a Major League deal and Napoli is a strong hitter and versatile defender, Teagarden, who still has minor league options, appears to be the odd man out.
- The Diamondbacks are experimenting with finding some more at-bats this spring for roster hopeful Micah Owings, writes Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Owings, a right-handed pitcher, is in camp on a minor league deal and is vying for the long-relief job out of the bullpen, but he could improve his chances of breaking camp with the club because he can be used as a pinch-hitter and perhaps even as a first baseman, on occasion.
- Padres right-hander Dustin Moseley, who signed a Major League deal with San Diego in December, will pitch out of the bullpen if he doesn't crack the starting rotation, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com. Generally regarded as a swing man, Moseley chose the Friars over a handful of other suitors for the chance to win a starting job.
Padres Reach Agreement With Dustin Moseley
The Padres reached an agreement with swingman Dustin Moseley, the team announced today. On Wednesday, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweeted that the deal guarantees $900K.
Moseley, 29 later this month, posted a 4.96 ERA, 4.5 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 1.8 HR/9, and 49.1% groundball rate this year before being non-tendered by the Yankees. He also tossed 72 2/3 innings across 12 starts in Triple-A. The Padres' rotation lost Jon Garland and Kevin Correia this offseason, but they've added Aaron Harang and could use Moseley as a starter as well. Since Moseley has fewer than four years of big league service time, the Padres have the opportunity to control him through 2013.
Padres Close To Signing Dustin Moseley
The Padres are close to signing free agent right-hander Dustin Moseley to a major league deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deal will be worth a guaranteed $900K, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The Yankees non-tendered Moseley last week after they couldn't come to terms with him on a deal for 2011.
Moseley, who turns 29 this month, posted a 4.96 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 65 1/3 innings as a swingman for the Yankees. It's unclear whether he'll join Aaron Harang in the rotation or work out of Bud Black's 'pen.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giants, Astros, Marlins
Some late night links after a busy day for the Diamondbacks…
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has some quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, including praise for Boston's Adrian Gonzalez acquisition and an explanation that Dustin Moseley was non-tendered because he was looking for something greater than what New York had offered, and New York didn't want to go to arbitration.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean acknowledged that the team's payroll could jump from around $100MM in 2010 to as high as $120MM in 2011, according to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rival clubs have asked about Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn (Twitter link).
- The Cubs will meet with Scott Boras to discuss his clients, including Carlos Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The Cubs are known to have interest in the powerful first baseman.
- The Marlins are discussing free agents Joe Beimel and J.C. Romero as they look to add left-handed relievers to their bullpen, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ron Mahay could be another possibility for the Marlins, who have about $1.5MM to spend on a reliever. Florida will have some competition for Mahay's services, as the Red Sox are also interested.
American League Non-Tenders
This post will list all the American League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.
- Blue Jays: Fred Lewis, Jeremy Accardo
- Red Sox: Hideki Okajima, Andrew Miller, Taylor Buchholz
- Mariners: Ryan Rowland-Smith
- Rays: Lance Cormier, Willy Aybar, Dioner Navarro, J.P. Howell
- Royals: Josh Fields
- Rangers: Dustin Nippert
- Angels: Kevin Frandsen
- Athletics: Jack Cust, Travis Buck, Edwin Encarnacion
- Yankees: Alfredo Aceves, Dustin Moseley
- Orioles: Matt Albers
- White Sox: Bobby Jenks, Erick Threets
- Tigers: Zach Miner
Five Non-Tenders That Shaped The 2010 Pennant Race
Some non-tendered players end up performing like stars in new cities, but the best contract offer possible is sometimes the one a team doesn't make. Here's a look at five players who were non-tendered last year and impacted the 2010 pennant race:
- Matt Capps – Capps has been excellent in 24 appearances for the Twins since coming over in a deal that sent catching prospect Wilson Ramos to Washington. The Pirates non-tendered Capps last December and the Twins and Nationals profit because of Pittsburgh's decision.
- Dustin Moseley – Hey, he's pitched 60.1 innings for one of the best teams in baseball and even stepped into a starting role when Andy Pettitte went down. The Angels’ decision to non-tender Moseley isn’t necessarily one they would like to do over, but the swingman has added value for the Bronx Bombers, posting a 4.77 ERA so far.
- Jonny Gomes – The Reds non-tendered Gomes only to re-sign him later in the offseason. The left fielder has a .761 OPS and 17 homers for the playoff-bound Reds.
- Garrett Atkins – The Rockies guaranteed the combination of Melvin Mora, Jason Giambi and Miguel Olivo less than it would have cost to retain Atkins through arbitration. Instead of paying Atkins more than $7MM, GM Dan O'Dowd wisely non-tendered him and spent on other needs.
- Kelly Johnson – Omar Infante and Martin Prado have produced well, so the decision to non-tender Johnson didn't necessarily hurt the Braves. Still, we can say with confidence that this year's Braves team would have seemed much different with more of Johnson (25 homers and .860 OPS in Arizona) and less of Prado and Infante.
Odds & Ends: Tracy, Braves, Brewers, Phillies
Links for Friday, as the international signing period begins…
- Chad Tracy's agent told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that his client has interest in playing for Mike Rizzo's Nationals, since Rizzo, Arizona's former scouting director, drafted Tracy in 2001 (Twitter link).
- You can listen to MLBTR's Tim Dierkes talking trades on the YES Network's Off the Wall podcast right here.
- Earlier in the week we heard that the Braves weren't crazy about David DeJesus and that remains true, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Morosi says the Braves are not pursuing DeJesus or Jose Guillen.
- The Brewers would listen to offers for Todd Coffey and Carlos Villanueva, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter).
- Assistant GM Scott Proefrock told Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the current edition of the Phillies has to perform. Chase Utley will miss eight weeks or more and Placido Polanco will miss three to four weeks, so the Phillies’ depth will be tested if they don’t make a trade.
- As expected, the Yankees promoted Dustin Moseley, according to Conor Orr of the Star Ledger. Some teams called the Yankees to inquire about the righty's availability as his opt-out date drew nearer.
- One GM who just did an overview of the Royals' farm system told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he's impressed by the team's prospects.
- D'Backs president Derrick Hall says the team won't likely start searching for a permanent GM until the offseason, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (via Twitter).
- Not surprisingly, the D'Backs have yet to ask the Dodgers for permission to interview assistant GM Logan White, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
- Red Sox supplemental rounder Anthony Ranaudo is looking to be paid like a top-ten pick, according to Amanda Comak of the Cape Cod Times. Check out the complete list of first rounders to sign right here.
- The Brewers released Triple A outfielder Trent Oeltjen, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Odds & Ends: Prior, Votto, Gaudin, Hendry, Rangers
Links for Thursday, as we wait to see how much more damage Vladimir Guerrero will inflict upon the Angels tonight…
- Mark Prior's agent says that one club wants to sign the right-hander after his workout this week, tweets Tom Krasovic of AOL Fanhouse. Prior reportedly hit the magic number of 90 mph during his workout.
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer indicates (via Twitter) that extension talks for Joey Votto will wait until after the season.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post tweets that the Yankees will not designate Chad Gaudin for assignment when they call up Dustin Moseley. The team has an empty spot on its 40-man roster, and is likely to place someone on the DL or option another reliever to Triple-A instead.
- Jim Hendry of the Cubs is the easiest general manager to make a deal with, according to a poll of GMs from around the league conducted by ESPN's Buster Olney.
- The sale of the Rangers is heading to a one-day auction that will be held on July 16th, reports Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.
Odds & Ends: Moseley, Reds, Prior, Nationals
Links for Wednesday, as Dustin Pedroia gets an early start on his rehab assignment…
- The Yankees will soon add Dustin Moseley to their roster, probably at the expense of Chan Ho Park or Chad Gaudin, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Moseley's opt-out clause kicks in tomorrow.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that he's looking at pitching, though the team has a limited number of 'bullets' to fire this summer.
- A veteran scout told Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse that Mark Prior was "just all right" in his workout today (Twitter link). Prior, who last pitched in the majors in 2006, is attempting a comeback.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he would like the Nats to become “younger, better [and] more athletic” if they make trades this summer.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times notes that the Phillies scouted last night's Yankees-Mariners game and wonders if the Phils are eyeing Jose Lopez, who could fill in for Chase Utley and Placido Polanco.
- The Nationals appear satisfied with hot-hitting Roger Bernadina in right field, but they did have interest in David DeJesus at one point, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter).
- Two executives told MLB.com’s Peter Gammons that there's no way the Twins will give up pitcher Kyle Gibson this summer. Like Cardinals prospect Shelby Miller, Gibson is a 2009 draft pick who signed late, so he would have to be dealt as a ‘player to be named later’ in any July trade.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Padres had interest in Eric Patterson before the Red Sox acquired him over the weekend (Twitter link).